When the FBI Raided a U.S. Nuclear Facility
Part of Heroes and Hiccups: True Stories about Nuclear Weapon Risks
Off-the-charts radiation
In 1989, plainclothes FBI agents arrived at Rocky Flats, a Colorado plant responsible for making plutonium pits, a key component in U.S. nuclear weapons. They showed up under the guise of reporting an eco-terrorism threat, but really, they were stalling while 70 armed agents arrived to raid the facility, which was under suspicion related to fires that had spread dangerous radioactive waste. The raid uncovered 62 pounds of plutonium hidden in ventilation systems. It’s the only time a U.S. government agency has raided another U.S. government agency.
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When Yeltsin Reached for the Nuclear Briefcase
